lia sophia tomgirl

Wedding Quilt #2

2013-05-18T14:21:00.002-04:00

Hmm, does this look familiar?

I made this for the wedding this weekend. I knew I had made one that had similar colors in the summer, I just didn't realize how close it is!! I like the fatter blue edge on this one.

I need to make this a few more times to satisfy myself and be done with this pattern. My new plan is to do something in dark colors with the knots (the blue and yellow here) in really light colors or white. That means the white and flowered here would be something dark. Intriguing but kind of risky because dark colors run....

Hanging In, Hanging Out, Just Keep Hanging

2013-05-16T21:11:00.002-04:00

I can't even tell you what I've been so busy doing this week, but busy I've been and I've left you all swinging in the breeze.

I bet you thought I'd really gone off to pursue this newfound passion of mine. Don't think I'm not considering it. Particularly after last Friday's C period class. It's just mind boggling how one class can be so outrageous and the other 4 are angelic. On a daily basis. Spending time with toilets all day could be no worse than spending time in C period every morning in my classroom.

It would probably be more rewarding, actually.

But seriously, this week has raced by and we're going to a wedding this weekend and I am so not prepared. The wedding is for k-ster's brother and it's just far enough out of town to require a 2 night hotel stay. Since we are driving and I'm not in the wedding, I've been really blase about getting ready. Until tonight, when I realized I had a few more things to do before I even thought about what I was taking and oh, um, yeah I forgot to sew my Handmade by Sparkling tag onto the back of the quilt and oh, it would be nice to have a clean sink when I return instead of dirty dishes and on went the list.

I usually make a short list when I am going anywhere and this time I'm all out of sorts. And we're leaving right when I get out of school so it's not like I have all the time in the world to get things together.

I think I'm wearing this to the wedding. I did find a great dress at Old Navy that I am in love with, so I might wear that instead, depending on my mood. Shoes are a major issue.

And I need clothes for moments that are not related to the wedding.

I can't seem to wrap my head around this.

Maybe it's time to step away from the blog and actually go pack?

http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/2013/05/aloha56.html
http://meltingmoments.net/2013/05/17/fly-on-by-friday/

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I Think I've Found My Calling

2013-05-12T11:52:00.000-04:00

I think it's time I give up the teaching racket and become a Restroom Redesign Engineer. I am a self proclaimed expert in the field, but I know plenty of people who will back me up and guarantee that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to toilets.

I've squatted, I've sat, I've used potties no one else deemed worthy, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Just don't touch anything and you'll be fine!

This revelation about my new title came about because of an unfortunate bathroom experience I had numerous times yesterday. I was doing an expo, a women's technology expo no less, and the nearest bathroom only had this option.

I didn't have to keep my foot like this, but I thought I'd use it to illustrate the mishap that had clearly happened when they put in the partitions. There is literally a space the width of my foot between the wall and the toilet.

But on the other side, there is about 2 feet of space.

And you know exactly what happened when they installed it. Someone said "Hey Joe, this doesn't quite fit right, does it?"

And Joe said "Who cares, it's close enough."

But what Joe didn't realize is that whether we sit (the horrors!) or squat over this toilet, there is no way not to bang your elbow and God knows what else on that wall. I'm a pretty small person, but I imagine a larger woman would have some serious issues actually fitting over that toilet if used the conventional way.

Using a public bathroom is an annoyance for most, but using one that isn't comfortable is just wrong.

She could, of course, always use it sideways, with her back to that wall, absolutely not the way it was intended, but at least she'd fit. And those of us waiting outside the stall would be left to marvel at the position of her feet under the partition until it was our turn to use it and we realized her brilliance.

So again, I clearly could have been of help to these boys as they installed the partitions and demonstrated exactly why close enough won't cut it this time.

Would you hire me?

Linking here:
http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/05/clever-chicks-blog-hop-34-plus-two.html
http://www.cherishedhandmadetreasures.com/
http://www.myturnforus.com/
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/05/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_14.html

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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

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Charge the Batteries

2013-05-10T21:26:00.000-04:00

Can someone plug in the cat? I think her battery is low.

Oh wait, never mind. Looks like she's charged and ready to go.

Linking here:
http://www.2justbyou.com/2013/05/meet-greet-blog-hop-26.html
http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/2013/05/aloha55.html
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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

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Teaching Aliens French

2013-05-09T07:26:00.000-04:00

K-ster got a little nervous when he saw a book I had sold on amazon.com, ready for shipping.

Well, I suppose it wasn't the book as much as the place I was sending it to:

He thought it was a little suspicious that I was sending something to a Mr. Happy in Roswell, NM.

Did you just hear the X-Files theme? I swear I did!

Linking here:
http://www.myturnforus.com/

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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

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Marching to the Beet

2013-05-07T17:03:00.002-04:00

I grew these beets over the winter and today, they demanded to be picked.

How do I know they demanded to be picked? Because this one was already poking the brown part out and then today I noticed the red part was on the surface too!

It's interesting that I can't grow long, straight carrots, but my beets are always long instead of round.

Beet salad for lunch tomorrow :)

Linking here:
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/05/06/made-by-you-monday-151/
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/05/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop.html
http://www.cherishedhandmadetreasures.com/
http://meltingmoments.net/2013/05/09/fly-on-by-friday-anything-goes-linky-happy-mothers-day/
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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

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No More Washing

2013-05-05T17:30:00.000-04:00

Remember when they said you had to wash your raw chicken before using it? I was sooooooo good about doing that. So good that when I saw my mother not wash her raw chicken I lost my mind.

I would wash it, then it would be a slippery mess, then there'd be water everywhere and so on. I don't buy paper towels, so I never did the blotting thing, but that never made any sense to me. I always envisioned little bits of paper towels stuck to the chicken. But I did it because of all those salmonellas running around, uncaged, raising mayhem on the counters...

And then one day, I thought about it. We all know we can't eat raw chicken, right? Never eat it if it's pink, they say. And who would want to? It's so unappealing.

Ok, well most of the time it is.

So I decided one day that I was done washing chicken. It had to be the dumbest use of my time. I always cook it to death anyway, so what is a rinse going to do except make a huge mess? My mother doesn't wash it and none of us have died. We don't wash any other meats before using them.

It was so freeing, not having to wash the chicken anymore.

Now, washing my hands? Of course. Multiple times. Or sometimes, I just wear gloves.

I also stopped worry about the separate cutting board. Yes, if I am going to cut raw chicken and then make a salad, I use a different board, different knife, different kitchen if I can. But once I put the board through the dishwasher, I have no issue using it on something like fruits. It's as clean as it's going to get.

Also very freeing. I know people who will not use a certain board for vegetables because it's the meat one. I also ask if they wash the meat one, what difference does it make?

So today, in the newspaper, someone from the cooperative extension said the new regulations say no more washing of the chicken. And their reason? It makes so much mess that it contaminates the counters and sinks! DUH.

So glad I won't even feel the least bit guilty that I'm not doing this anymore.

And I'm worried that the person who took this might not have washed his/her hands before using the camera and now the camera is contaminated....

Linking my contaminated hands here:
http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/
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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

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Rapunzel, Rapunzel

2013-05-03T21:46:00.001-04:00

Today I'm here to confess that it has been over a year since I cut my hair. I know, it's enough to make some of my readers pass out in horror.

I am not a hair whore and don't do much to it. I wash it, I sometimes dry it, I try not to be mean to it. And most days, it just looks ho-hum. I don't use products to do stuff to it because I have that hair that just looks greasy instead of great when I put stuff in it. I don't use conditioner very much because my hair doesn't really need it.

I refuse to color it and the whites are overtaking the browns and blonds, so pretty soon, I won't even need to highlight because I will be one walking highlight.

I usually wash it every other day, after learning that I can wash my bangs every day but leave the rest alone. It looks better that way.

Last February, yes over one year ago, I cut it and gave my ponytail to Pantene for their wig making project. You can send less than with the Locks for Love program, so I chose that.

I liked my haircut a lot. Shorter hair really suits me, I think. It looks springier, I look healthier and happier, and I should really just keep it short. My rule is that I have to be able to put it in a ponytail, however small, when I work out. I cannot have my hair fall toward my face at all when I am hot and sweaty.

But, there's always a piece of me that says maybe this time, I can grow it long enough that it will look smashing and it won't fall in my face and it won't bother me. This time, maybe it'll be so pretty, people stop me on the street.

Thus the 14+ months since my last cut.

In February, it looked like this:

I had sort of had it and decided to call the woman who had cut my hair at the cutathon. She never did follow through with that lia sophia party, so I should have seen the writing on the wall. I liked the way it was cut, though, and my former hair dresser moved and didn't tell me, so I thought I'd go with the new one.

It took me a while to find her because she was doing that cutathon at someone else's salon. I did some sleuthing and found her and she was appalled that I thought I could call and get an appointment that very week. The first thing she had was April.

I wasn't sure I could survive 2 months but I did. And then she rescheduled. And then I rescheduled. And then she rescheduled.

And I showed up at 5pm on Wednesday, ready to go. I had been debating all day. Would I just cut one inch and wait until the end of summer to cut it? It is at a point where it almost doesn't fall in my face when I'm just standing. Maybe I can deal with letting it grow a liiiiiiiitle longer.

I walked in, ready to have it cut. I decided it was time to just get rid of the length and have a springy spring. I had left my hair down all day to see what would happen and by 1pm I almost had the scissors in hand because it's just not for me.

In walked the hairdresser and she said "Are you here to get your hair cut?"

.....

"Ummm, yes....".

"Oh, I gave away your appointment."

It seems that I never called her back to confirm. Except she didn't say to, she said your new appointment is May 1 at 5. And that was all. So I stood there, incredulous and she kept saying she had no time, back to back colors, etc.

I said forget it and she was like oh let me see, I can squeeze you in tomorrow.

Nope. It's fascinating that she could not squeeze me in at any time during February vacation like I asked, or before May 1, but when I was about to walk out the door, she could squeeze me in tomorrow.

So I walked out. As I walked out the door, I noticed the $63 price for a cut and blowdry, I wasn't too sad. $63???? For a pretty much straight cut? I can't believe she let me walk out. It must be nice to be so secure in your business that not only you put off a new customer for 3 months, but you let her just walk out when she was dumb enough to book without even asking the price!

And now I'm back to square 1.

I know, I'm supposed to ask people whose hair I love where they get theirs done. And this is the problem. I don't see too many styles I like. And when I see a hairdresser whose ends are frighteningly fried or whose hair is just ridiculous, I want to run and hide.

I guess I'm just picky.

I'll be Crystal Gayle before I know it.

Linking here:
www.2justbyou.com/?utm_source=Meet+%26+Greet&utm_campaign=980c274b9d-Meet_Greet_142_15_2013&utm_medium=email\
http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/2013/05/aloha54.html
http://www.myturnforus.com/
http://meltingmoments.net/2013/05/02/fly-on-by-friday-anything-goes-linky-3/
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_30.html

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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

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Idle Hands And My Idle Mind

2013-05-01T16:44:00.000-04:00

Remember these?

You probably made them where you were a kid. You pick a color and the person opens and closes it in time to reciting the letters. Then you open it and pick something that's inside. Then you lift the flap under what you chose and it says something like "you'll marry the next boy you see" or "you smell like a butt".

Lots of fun.

I remember an older girl making me one once and I thought she was magical that she could make such a thing. And I learned how to make them and then totally forgot. I didn't find much use for them in high school and beyond.

What a great thing to use in the classroom though, right? I was desperate the other day for something to do and was searching through some newsletter and saw how someone used it in the French classroom and I was excited to try it. I made a template that everyone had to cut out and fold according to the directions on the board, in French. That alone was a great lesson.

Then I took a bunch of irregular verbs, pronouns and some other random words and wrote them inside. Outside, it says the colors in French. Someone picks a color and the person spells it in French, opening and closing. Then they select a pronoun and lift the flap to see which part of the verb and random word they have to use it with and then they correctly write a sentence.

They really liked it. It's amazing how I can take something fun from summer camp and make it boring by doing a lesson with it. But they liked it.

My favorite part was yesterday, in my amazing class. I have 9 kids in a class that is almost like an honors class because of the kind of kids that are in it. I look forward to this class more than any I ever have had in my life because they just "get it" and will do anything with me.

They were my guinea pigs. They were so excited to read the directions and figure it out. Then, one of my most shining stars said:

"Great, so now what, do we just play with ourselves or what?"

I fell down laughing. No one else laughed. That made me laugh harder, on the inside of course. Everyone kind of smiled but they are all of the caliber that they were trying to figure out how to use it academically and didn't realize what she said.

Truly, my mind remains in the middle school gutter. The middle school of my times. These days, kids don't seem to have their heads in the gutter until high school.

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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

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Nomads on Horseback

2013-04-27T23:00:00.001-04:00

I can't even believe I'm saying this, but we moved barns AGAIN!!! Barn #6. Seriously. 6 barns in the 4 years I've ridden with her. I've moved houses less than that in my lifetime and these horses have breezed in and out of barns like they're on vacation.

But, I'm pretty sure this is THE ONE. R-ster is actually part leaseholder on this one, so she's the boss. I think this will make a big difference.

The barn was a barn full of horses years ago but for the last 20 years it's been kind of empty. There's fuzziness on whether or not someone had horses in there about 10 years ago. I don't think I remember ever seeing horses there but it's a great piece of property that's just dying for horses.

Because it's been empty for so long, there are a million things to do and r-ster had to move in before it was really ready, so things will be done as they come up, I think. I've helped with painting, installing fences, cleaning, and it's not done by a long shot.

I had a lesson there today and we wondered what Tucker would be like. It's more grass than he's seen in years and there is no official riding ring yet. Since the fenced area is huge, we didn't want to ride into the abyss and let him take me on a tear across the field, so we just did the lesson in his paddock. Not a terrible thing, but it's such a small area compared to what we've been using!

He was the best he's ever been. It's so peaceful there and he was so cooperative. He was AWFUL in the cross ties when I was getting him ready and I figured he'd be awful outside but he was a perfect student. He was awful once again when I brought him in to take off his saddle and tack but then he was fine when I washed him down. So weird!

The first night they were there, she brought them over around 5pm and let them play and graze in the paddocks for a while. They were hysterical. They kept running around like "can you BELIEVE this?" and then when they went into their stalls they all acted like they were doing something naughty and the jig would be up any second. She said when she put them out in the morning they just ran and ran and ran like she'd never seen.

All of the barns we've been at have had limited space for running around. All of them have had paddocks for them, but most have been about 10x10 or slightly larger. At barn #3, they could go in and out as they pleased, but there wasn't much space to really rev it up. At that barn though, they could be put into the riding ring and race around if they wanted. At barn #4, there was no fenced ring, so any exercise they did was when they were ridden.

For a while, at least, they will have these enormous paddocks and be free to do what horses do: eat grass and wander around. I love the lack of mud right now. The last place had very muddy paddocks for Tucker and Quinn and it would be awful after rain. Right now, the land is very grassy and has bee for a long time, so it will be a while before it's torn up.

It's been very idyllic in the couple of days they've been there. The first night was picture perfect. The first full day was the bluest sky with the perfect temperature, horses snorting and blowing their noses all day, endless grassy fields. They look endless because from the barn, they go up slightly, so you can't see the end of it.

There's lots of this:

This is not me but it's nice to see someone riding!

Still not me! The buildings here will soon be torn down to make way for senior housing, which has nothing to do with the barn.

Isn't this great? It looks great on the outside. The inside needs some work but when the concrete gets poured for the aisle, all will be well.

The current paddocks. There are horses there, it's just so big you can't see them! They don't know what to do with themselves, they're so excited!

Tucker, very busy eating grass after his lesson.

The inside needs work, as I said. I think it's very old fashioned to see doors like this!

I love this little deck upstairs. No one would really ever sit there and it doesn't really look out over anywhere that the horses would be, but I like it anyway!

Just so I never feel like I'm far from home... I have no idea why this trailer is there, but until the bathrooms are finished, I guess we'll be using this as a bathroom.

No one received the message that I hate painting more than anything else in this world so when I asked what I could do to help today, this is what I was given. Gee, my favorite. And the wood is old, so it just SUCKED up the paint and took forever.

There's nothing better than snoozing in the afternoon sun after you've been ridden, had a shower and eaten lots of grass.

Linking up here:
http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/

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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

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Shoo Fly Pie

2013-04-25T07:24:00.002-04:00

Never had it, have you? I can sing you a song about it....

Anyway, do you have shoes that you sometimes banish to the back of the closet because you think they are uncomfortable and then one day you bring them out and they are like slippers? This happens to me once in a while and I'm always amazed. I don't know what makes me put them back in the closet because when I put them on, they feel great.

This happened with these shoes this week.

I bought these at Bass about 100 years ago and when I bought them, they seemed stiff but I liked the inside of them. It's a nice soft fabric. I remember wearing them a few times but I think the toe area was kind of stiff. They are also kind of a funky color. Sort of a rusty color that's sort of brown but not. I can't really explain and this picture does nothing.

I was looking for a different shoe the other day (I get stuck on one pair and then they dont' match something and I don't know what to do) and I took these out, doubtful that they would work. Not only did they work, they felt great ALL DAY!

I have no idea why I had banished them! As I wore them, I remembered having the same thought the last time I wore them. There's some overarching memory of them being tight but the reality is they are great.

I seem to do that with pants and shoes often. I will leave them there and they taunt me day after day as some fictitious memory of them being uncomfortable lurks from the closet. Then I will just wing it one day and throw them on and they are just great and I regret all those days I wouldn't wear them.

I talk about shoes and feet a lot around here and here and here and here. Probably because I am constantly on a quest for the most comfortable, stylish shoe. And because I stand around all day in the classroom, I quickly learn how uncomfortable shoes can be!

No, I was NOT driving when I took this. I had parked and probably freaked out the person next to me by photographing my foot.

Linking here:
http://www.2justbyou.com
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_23.html
http://www.myturnforus.com/
http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/2013/04/aloha53.html
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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Expanding My Horizons

2013-04-22T19:20:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, I created garden #2 because garden #1 was running out of full sunlight. What a difference it made to have a garden that was an actual rectangle and not the wild and crazy sort of circle that I have for garden #1. I can actually plant in rows and it means something in garden #2! In #1, just as I create rows, I run into a curve and I end up with groups of things all over the place. It was all I ever knew until I created #2.

I also enjoy garden #2 because it gets full sun all day. And it's right out my back door, rather than across the driveway like garden #1. Like a difference of 100 yards, but still, it's a difference!

This year, I decided to increase garden #2 so it's twice as big as before. I only had to buy 4 more fence posts to make that happen and I was super lucky that I had enough chicken wire left over from when I did it two years ago.

I already had the gate and didn't touch those posts, so all I had to do was put in the new posts where I wanted them, move the 3 that were in the center and put up the chicken wire. I was thrilled that the chicken wire I had already used was fairly easy to get off the posts that I moved, so I just moved it around the corner. Nothing was wasted.

Things are a little slow in the greenhouse right now, so I don't have a lot to plant. It's also not as nice as it was last year at this time, and the cold is slowing things down. At this point last year, I had tons of stuff just growing like crazy.

I planted more seeds today in the greenhouse, so in a couple of weeks, I hope this place is hopping with plants!

Now, if you have a real eye for detail and you see something in the background that looks like a rocket launcher, relax. It's not. But, can you guess what it actually is?

Linking here:
http://www.skiptomylou.org
http://www.cherishedhandmadetreasures.com
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/04/clever-chicks-blog-hop-31-crayon-wreath.html
***********************************************************************************
Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Cool N Serve Tray Giveaway!

2013-04-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

I have a really great product from Pampered Chef to giveaway this spring. The Cool N Serve tray is my favorite summer product because it's so versatile. It's great for serving things that need to be kept cold like veggies and dip. It's also perfect for bringing cupcakes to a party. My favorite part is the deviled egg holders. I don't make deviled eggs, but if I did, I'd use this every time!

Watch how I expertly demonstrate why I like it.

Enter through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

We Are Secretly Party Hounds

2013-04-20T10:31:00.002-04:00

I did not grow up having lots of parties in my house, but it seems like we've had more parties in the last 10 years than any normal person would have. Retirement, birthday, anniversary, wedding, the Bauer BBQ- it's just endless.

Most of those parties have been in my parents' back yard but last night, we did a surprise party for my father at a Mexican restaurant that he really likes. It was a surprise and there were about 20 people there.

My sister e-ster knows someone who makes dairy free cakes, so she had her make one for this. She puts real flowers on her cakes to jazz them up.

Here's the lady responsible for this party. She reserved the back room, sort of, and when it came time to sing, there was a huge chorus of people singing.

Lots of laughs were had by all, including the birthday boy. I don't know what j-ster was saying, but he had the table in stitches.

My father doesn't like surprises but this one went over pretty well. Even the cake and singing were deemed tolerable.

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Sharing My Potty Expertise

2013-04-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing I know a lot about, it's toilets. I seem to spend hours of my life running to the bathroom. I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with me, I just drink a lot of water and can't stand having to wait to go to the bathroom. I've been checked, there's seriously nothing wrong with me.

Other ladies in my family have the same problem, so I am sure it's just a genetic predisposition to detest the slightest bit of pressure in the bladder. My grandmother could wait for days to go to the bathroom because she hated public bathrooms. Not me. I can tell you the location of every bathroom in every store in my town.

This gift I have allows me to check out toilet models I never even would imagine unless I saw them face to face. I haven't seen those crazy things we hear about in Asia where they warm the seat and blow your butt with warm air and the like. I bet I will someday.

I've seen the old fashioned tank up on the wall and pull a chain variety in Europe.

I've had the distinct pleasure of using the "turkish" style "toilets" in France which are really just holes in the floor with handrails for balance.

I've used bus bathrooms, train bathrooms (once, on a European train, I saw the ground below the hole in the toilet), plane bathrooms, ferry bathrooms and motorhome bathrooms.

It takes a lot for me to say no to a toilet when I really have to go. I have amazing balance and the ability to touch nothing when I use portapotties and scary public bathrooms. I'm the master at locking and unlocking the door with anything but my actual fingers. Feet are a most amazing tool for flushing, opening and closing the slide locks on doors, etc.

When I go to someone's house, I rarely leave without using their bathroom, whether I've been there for 5 days, 5 hours or 5 minutes. It's something I've just trained myself to do- never leave the house without going to the bathroom. I just sometimes forget it's not necessary to do that in everyone's bathroom.

This makes me take notice of people who visit my house and if they use the bathroom. I have a friend who can come for dinner, spend several hours and never once use the bathroom. And she has a 20 minute ride home! That's a bladder of steel, I tell you and it does nothing but fascinate me.

I seem to have a knack for going to people's houses and breaking the chain that makes the toilet flush (not the pull down tank mentioned above, but the normal chain in your toilet tank that pulls up the rubber thing that lets it flush.) We were at a friend's apartment and I did it within seconds of arriving to a party and everyone was screwed for the night. Imagine my horror when I realized we might be spending the night in a place where I couldn't flush the toilet. Thank God someone knew how to fix it.

But I worried all night that I might break it again and I don't sleep well when I have to go or think I might have to go.

I bring this all up to tell the tale of my sister a-ster's toilet.

When I visited the last time, within the first hour of being there, I broke her chain. She wasn't worried because the chain was broken and they had been using a paper clip and the paper clip just rusted through. It was a simple fix, with another paper clip, but they had this kind of toilet:

And I didn't know what to do to get the top off to fix it. While it looks fancy and European, it is scary to realize I couldn't secretly fix it if I did it again. It made me realize that a normal toilet is really a better choice when picking a new one.

And when I visited again this week, what was the first thing I did? Of course. That dreaded paper clip had rusted through. It is so embarrassing to use the toilet and then have to go tell someone you can't get it to flush. I don't care who you are, even with a fancy toilet like that, it's not fun.

The next morning, my brother in law got up and announced a family trip to buy a new toilet. I figured I had to go along because if there are 2 experts in toilets, it would be any two of the females in my family. He found one he liked right away and loaded it into the cart and back home we went a with a "normal" toilet.

My sister was excited that she would have a toilet with a flat top (this one is sort of a hump) so she could actually set something down on it and it wouldn't fall off. She also wants to put some sort of cabinet or storage over it and with the old style, you had to have room to pull up the flusher without banging your hand, so that was always an annoyance.

We got home and in seconds, the old toilet was out in the carport and the new toilet was en route to the bathroom. S-ster was whistling away, raving about the simplicity of installing a new toilet. I was amazed that the old one came off so easily because I picture trying to put a new toilet in my house and it taking an entire day and 4 guys to make it happen.

He put the new toilet on and came whistling out, asking who would be the first one to try the new toilet and did anyone really need the directions to know how to use the toilet. I was at the table, shocked that in less than an hour, he had removed the old, installed the new and was calling it a day. It really WAS that easy.

Until he went in to clean up and it was leaking. That's when I learned that s-ster has quite a vocabulary. He rattled off some really colorful expressions that I really hadn't ever thought to put together before.

When all was said and done, the new toilet was firmly installed with no leaks and it worked like a charm. It didn't take long, but there were some tense moments when I thought he might get crushed by the toilet or just throw the whole thing out and we'd be going "turkish" for the rest of the week.

I no longer felt like I was in a house of royalty with their fancy toilets. Just a good, old, normal flusher. I admit I was a little afraid to use it because of my luck with chains. I waited until it had been used a time or two and decided to try my luck. For the rest of the week, I was a little bit afraid. I pictured using it in the middle of the night and causing a flood. Or worse, it would fall off the wax seal and I'd go for a ride and break the new toilet, not to mention my butt on their tile floor.

All is well and they have a nice, new toilet.

And I'm sure having this guy with his mocking face made it that much easier to install it.

I wouldn't know because I stayed safely at the table, imagining the scene I could only hear as it played out in the next room.

Linking here:
http://mylifeandkids.com/
http://meltingmoments.net/2013/04/18/fly-on-by-friday-time-to-get-sociable/
http://www.myturnforus.com/
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_16.html
http://www.cherishedhandmadetreasures.com/
http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/2013/04/aloha52.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/
http://www.2justbyou.com/?utm_source=Meet+%26+Greet&utm_campaign=e7d2997c52-Meet_Greet_142_15_2013&utm_medium=email
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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.
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Remember to enter my Cool N Serve giveaway through the rafflecopter form below. You can enter every day, if you'd like, through May 31. Just in time for summer BBQs and parties!

Can't wait for May 31? You can buy your own right now.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not A Loser

2013-04-14T22:04:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I asked for your help to decide which picture I should use to enter a contest to possibly win a trip. I was very mysterious about this contest because I was afraid to get too excited and jinx it. I didn't want to get so invested that if I didn't win, I'd be crushed.

Right after I applied for the grant, I found out I'm changing programs next year and moving to a different school. I'm excited but suddenly, the need to go on this trip was not so great. I will still teach French and everything I wanted to do would totally be valid in this new position, but as it will be my first year doing it, my priorities started to shift.

The grant is through the Hilton hotels and it's a travel grant. Teachers can win a grant up to $6000 to do something really wildly creative in another country, to bring back to their classroom. I thought spending a few weeks in Paris and Normandy and taking some courses at Le Cordon Bleu was a great idea. I imagined spending most of July in France at the expense of Hilton. I was finally going to visit the school where we do penpals in Normandy and spend time in that region since I know so little. Then I was going to come back and offer cooking classes to teach what I learned to my students and also to the public through our local cultural center. I couldn't wait to take some classes on Mediterranean cooking.

Then my world shifted and the thought of being gone for any time this summer started to weigh on me. I won't spend the entire summer thinking about my new position, but being away for a while will really make me feel frantic to get things done when I get back.

We might say I get a little possessive of my summer days and while I love learning more about France, going away does take a lot of time away from the "me" time I so crave each summer!

I was kind of hoping I wouldn't win.

And I didn't.

At first, I was relieved but quickly disappointed and then annoyed. 30 finalists were chosen for online voting and 15 of those will actually win. Why wasn't I one of the 30? Wasn't what I came up with a kick-ass suggestion?

I went to the site so to see these 30 finalists and to see why I didn't get chosen. Many of them are doing wild ass things over several continents and in god-forsaken places I have no interest in ever visiting. I can understand the judges being oohed and ahhed by people visiting Africa and Bangladesh and Haiti. But Paris and Italy are in there....

However, one woman caught my eye. She wants to do just about the same thing I proposed, but in Italy. I don't know why she was chosen over me because what we wrote was quite similar and I even took it another step further to say that I would share what I learned through cooking classes in the community. But, I want her to win because her idea is so similar to mine.

See, I'm not a sore loser. A sore loser would have said 'screw them all' but I actually did vote because I want her to win!

So, go here and vote for her, just like you would have voted for me if I had been a finalist!

Click here to vote.

I am not at all being compensated by the Hilton hotels and I have no affiliation or personal stake in anything to do with them. I do not know the teacher I am recommending, I just like what she had to say. I want to see a teacher fulfill a dream!
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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Why I Take the Train

2013-04-13T21:25:00.001-04:00

To visit my sister, I can take a train, a plane or I can drive. I've done all three and honestly, they each take about the same amount of time, start to finish.

Driving is the most wearing on the body because you're stuck in a car for the whole 8-10 hours and when you stop, you know it just means more time on the other end. But, you have your own vehicle and more space to bring stuff and you feel no hassle for time because you leave when you want to.

Flying is just about as stressful because of security, cramped quarters on the plane and the need to get there 25 hours before your plane arrives. I live 1.5 hours from either airport I would take, and my sister lives about an hour from either that I could arrive at, so by the time all is said and done, it's 8-10 hours.

The train is the least stressful. The actual trip is less than 7 hours, but when you add the 1.5 hours for me to get to the train station and the hour or so from the train station to my sister's it still ends up being 8-10 hours. But much less stressful than flying.

And here's why.

1) you can pick your own seat. Some of you know that picking your own seat is the very reason I will not fly Southwest, but it's different. On a train, you can pick your seat but if another one opens up, you can move. If a seat opens up mid flight, well, I don't think anyone's moving anywhere if that happens.

And if a seat should open up in your car? Well, I just don't want to know.

2) if you're lucky, you can get 2 seats to yourself. Try driving and stretching out at the same time. Nope. And k-ster frowned on my suggestion that I stretch out in the back while he drives. I have two tried and true ways to keep my double seat, should I actually score one:

a) stretch your legs sort of diagonally across the empty seat and put your head back against the wall and close your eyes. You couldn't probably loll your tongue out if you dared to really convince people you are asleep.

b) look extremely busy with a lot of paperwork that takes up your lap, the seat and covers your laptop that you have on the drop down table.

I have the luxury of being short enough that I can actually sit with my back against the wall and put my legs out completely, and they don't hang off the end of the armrest. Score one for the shorties.

3) at no point during a flight would this be allowed: A woman takes out her biggest suitcase, you know the kind that you can bring 2 of on an international flight. Pretty big. So a woman takes it out, puts it in the middle of the aisle and starts completely repacking. While the entire train is trying to walk to the cafe car, which is the next car ahead of us.

I am also certain this would not happen if drove because, well, you don't have an aisle.

Unless you are in the motorhome and then it wouldn't be at all unusual. Well, in our motorhome it would have been unusual because we didn't use suitcases, we brought our stuff out to the motorhome in paper bags.

4) somewhat steady wifi. They claim some day we will have it on planes but I am not holding my breath. I say somewhat because it comes and goes and is pretty slow. It was a beeotch with the ipad but with my laptop, it's just a test of my patience.

Driving alone and having wifi would just be a disaster.

5) due to my total comfort addressing crowds, there's something about the seat height of the train that makes me have to hold myself back from standing up to survey the crowd and start telling people what to do. On a plane, this would never happen because a) they are so cramped and b) there are flight attendants who would probably frown on that.

And again, in your car you don't have an aisle and if you felt the need to address the crowd in your motorhome, well then so be it.

6) fairly luxurious bathrooms. I say this because we all know how awful plane bathrooms are because they are so small. Plus, you have that damned accordion door. On the train, each car has a handicapped bathroom and a non handicapped bathroom. The handicapped has lots of room. Both have sliding doors, so even if you're in the small one, you can get out without having to do the sideways limbo around the door.

And unless you're driving in the motorhome, no bathroom for you in your car. If you are in the motorhome, well you could go to the bathroom while stuck on a bridge and live to tell the tale. We know someone who did just that.

7) steady, flat surfaces and no risk of things falling off. You can have your tray table down and your seat back for the entire trip on a train. You only go straight so there are no sharp turns to send things flying.

Try doing that on a plane or in a car!

8) and the real reason I take the train? Because the devil himself rides this train.

I suppose it's meant to be a broom but I am sure it's a pitchfork. And they don't even say please. It says:

Be considerate of the next passenger and clean up.

I like the thrill of being afraid of making a mess.

Linking here:

http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/04/clever-chicks-blog-hop-30-beef-stew.html
http://lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com/

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

'Tis the Season?

2013-04-12T15:44:00.001-04:00

Is it weird that I wore leggings every day this week and enjoyed myself? I wasn't too thrilled with this look yesterday, though. It was chilly, so I needed socks and I thought I could get away with it, but I really didn't. These leggings are kind of long, so they bunch a little at the ankle. I figured no one would notice the socks. I noticed it all day.

My assistant principal said my legs reminded him of Peter Pan. I don't even know what that means and I am sure it's some form of harassment and I'm supposed to be mad.

I like to wear leggings if I can find the right top. You'd think because I'm short, most tunics would work fine but there are some I just can't get away with wearing. And when wearing leggings, the top must be roomy, never tight around the hips.

EVER.

That's a law I wish everyone would abide by.

Always.

Also, leggings are not pants. They are not tights, either, which is why I feel like wearing them with something that comes at least 3 inches below the butt is totally acceptable, whereas with tights, 3 inches below the butt is NOT acceptable.

But, I repeat, leggings are not pants.

That's another law that everyone needs to abide by.

Too many of my students, and sadly their mothers and GRANDMOTHERS, think leggings are pants and wear them with tank tops! Not kidding. These are not the hot young things that have the bodies to wear leggings and tank tops and get away with it.

I do not teach in a dance studio, nor is the grocery store a gymnastics place, so why must I be met with every female's butt and lady parts all out there for me to see, every time I turn around??? Sometimes in fluorescent colors just to add to the effect?

That's the true definition of hideous.

Anyway, back to me and lack of showing my butt or my lady parts when I wear leggings.

Because I love this top so much, here's more of it.

I bought this at Macy's a long time ago for like $2. It had elastic cuffs but the elastic has since disintegrated but I like the flow of the arms better. It's weird material. Like super cheap chiffon. I love it though, and wear it as often as I can!

Linking here:
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_9.html
http://www.myturnforus.com/
http://meltingmoments.net/2013/04/11/fly-on-by-friday-anything-goes-linky-paper-memories/
http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/04/the-frugal-girls-link-party.html
http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/2013/04/aloha51.html
http://www.2justbyou.com/?utm_source=Meet+%26+Greet&utm_campaign=980c274b9d-Meet_Greet_142_15_2013&utm_medium=email\

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Not Such A Jump Start This Year

2013-04-10T21:06:00.000-04:00

I keep forgetting that last year was a pretty mild winter for our region. I was growing things a whole month earlier in my greenhouse last year and I'm having a fit that it's taking so long for things to get going this year.

In the fall, I planted some beets, broccoli and carrots in the greenhouse. I did it all rather late, so most of them got started and then just sat there, staring forlornly at me all winter long.

Only recently has it begun to look like this.

Oh wait, this is outside.

Here we have about 1001 onions. Someone at school said he had ordered too many for his garden and would I like some? I thought he meant like 2 or 3. I planted about 30 here and about 30 in garden #1. There are 5 varieties. I had no idea what I was getting into!

This is the kale that weathered the winter and is coming back. I don't love kale but I know people who do. It helps me grease some palms to get what I want. If only it were so easy. I'll probably get a bunch of leaves and when it gets warm it will go to seed. That's what happened the last time I grew kale and it overwintered.

Peas. I had so much success with them last year, I couldn't wait to do it again. Something climbed up on the table and ate all 90 of the first set of peas I planted, so I am a week or 2 behind. I just set these out the other day and they seem happy.

These broccoli were started late, like Novemberish and now are doing really well in the greenhouse.

This is the wheelbarrow of irony. I never know what's going to grow in this thing. It's an old, broken wheelbarrow that I have full of dirt. The first year, I put some potatoes in it and they grew and I ate them. I guess not all of them, because we had more last year. And, yep, right in the center, another potato plant.

The pure irony in this all of the arugula. When I get a bag of mesclun, the two things I take out right away are the frisee because it's bitter and the arugula because it tastes to me like licorice covered rubber. With an after shot of skunk. I have had a mesclun seed packet for years and years and never planted it because I realized I wouldn't know if they were weeds or plants because it's a mix. I got adventurous and tossed the whole thing into the wheelbarrow, figuring it's a little more controlled than the ground.

Up popped 5 arugula plants. GRRRR. Again, I know someone who loves it, so it's all theirs.

I tossed in some radishes and they are coming along too.

At the other end of the wheelbarrow o' mystery, I have two chard plants that have been with me for like 3 years, just producing and producing.

Here's the broccoli that I started a couple of weeks ago. I think I will keep what's already growing in the greenhouse inside for sooner picking and put these out when they get big enough.

More carrots. The last bunch of carrots I pulled up were a success, so I keep planting more. If they are too small, I will just give them to the horses.

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone but I managed to start 2 spinach plants. The universe does not want me to grow spinach no matter how hard I try. Not even in the wheelbarrow of amazingness. I tried a different company and variety and I successfully started 2 of them. Let's hope for more!

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

I Found Nirvana In A Beet

2013-04-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

Seriously, a beet. The food. The red things that stain everything in site and make you drop dead when you look in the toilet.

I'd had some beets growing all winter in the greenhouse and even as spring started, they were just sort of stuck. I think they were crowded. I picked them this weekend and used the greens to make this.

First, I roasted the beets at 400 for like an hour, in aluminum foil and then I just let them cool for the afternoon. No oil, nothing. Just beets and aluminum foil, the way God intended.

I rinsed the greens, which looked stunning because nothing had nibbled even the tiniest hole in them! I chopped them up and put them in a bowl with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, feta and some left over macaroni with chicken pieces. I cut up the beets, warmed it all in the micro for like 30 seconds and just drop dead with excitement.

These beets were the sweetest yet. They were small, so I don't know why they felt crowded, but they were unreal. Combined with the feta and balsamic, it was just amazing. The greens weren't at all bitter and the macaroni and chicken just soaked it all up to enhance everything.

I ate half and left the other half for the next day. Equally taste bud blowing.

I've planted a variety of beets this year, hoping to have lots of success with different colors!

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Fishy, Fishy

2013-04-08T20:55:00.000-04:00

After my last tractor quilt, I decided it's time to go back to doing fish quilts. I've been trying to master the quilt as you go technique and after my last quilt, I had a little epiphany. I don't always have to make everything in squares. Maybe I could do 3 long rectangles and get more of the effect I'm looking for.

And for the most part, it is just what I was looking for.

I am not thrilled that when I sewed the seams, I wasn't able to get the wavy pattern to cover the seam on the front, but that's because I am not as precise as I'd like to be when I line them up. I definitely liked doing it as 3 long rectangles because there was a lot less to struggle with when I put them together.

In my mind, I saw lots of seaweed growing from the bottom, but my mind and reality rarely line up, just like my quilts!

I love the chaos of these fish and their pouty lips! Sometimes, I flip them over so some fish go one way and some go the other. I also forgot until right now, that I meant to put the multicolored blocks on the top and bottom like I did in my favorite one.

I think I'll try this method again with a different quilting plan. My free motion presser foot is too high for these thin quilts, so I have to get one with a lower shank to do what I really want.

Linking here and here and here and here and here and here and here

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Snarfing Food- Not For the Pretty

2013-04-07T15:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I posted an email that I had received for 150 pulled pork sandwiches. I'm sure it is some sort of spam and either my email just got hijacked or the poor woman named Ruth who placed that order with me has been spammed.

In any case, my sister's comment made me laugh because there's a little story about pulled pork at her house.

When I go to visit my sister, I get out of my usual eating routine and I become a monster. I guess when I'm home, I eat often, so I never get that low blood sugar hunger that makes me what to hunt small children and eat them. My sister doesn't eat that way, so when I'm there, I don't either and it can get ugly.

Mid afternoon, I start to get hungry but she's always cooking up something that smells great, so I figure I can wait until supper time. But, supper time for her is more like 7pm, where for me, it's like 6pm. By the time supper rolls around, I am ravenous and nothing's going to get in my way.

The last time I was there, she made pulled pork and some of the best home made rolls to put it on. I was particularly hungry and made myself a sandwich. I think I might have been the first one to get mine, actually. It was amazing. And by the time she finally sat down to eat hers, mine was gone, the plate licked clean and I was asking for more.

She and s-ster both were dumbfounded that a) I had completely snarfed it down in a matter of minutes and b) I could possibly be hungry enough to ask for another whole sandwich and c) if I had more there would be no leftovers.

So I did. And I ate it. And it was just as delicious. And I think it meant no leftovers for the next day. And I didn't care, because it was that damned good.

I'm going to visit them next week. I've already told my body what to expect and actually, I haven't been eating as frequently lately and I haven't bitten a single child.

She's pretty sure my post was just a pre-visit request to have the pulled pork on hand.

I think this Ruth person got wind of her excellent sandwiches and hacked the wrong account!

Linking here and here and here

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Yeah, I'll Have 150 Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Please?

2013-04-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

I've seen it all now. I received this email today, from a "real" looking gmail account, not one of those bogus weird addresses:

Hello
I will like to place an order for individual Pulled Pork bbq
Sandwiches for 150 people on 17th of April and pick up time is 4pm
.This for my Son Birthday Party and let me know if you don't serve
chicken salad and email me your menu so i can choose other option from
it.
The food will be picked up by my courier and I am ready to pay the
full payment with my credit card so get to me with the following
information below......
Restaurant Address:
Total cost for the food:
Cell Phone #:

I am totally rolling on the floor because it sounds legit. A piece of me is a little afraid this is an old lady who got the wrong email address and is expecting 150 sandwiches on April 17th. I'm picturing a grandmother who is having a 50th party for her son and has no idea how to operate the internet and is just emailing the wrong people for her goods.

This puts Mary Prendergast to shame.

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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

Now I Know My ABCs

2013-04-01T19:48:00.000-04:00

A wise person told me that to keep her seedlings straight in her mind, she plants them in alphabetical order. She planted several different types of tomatoes and when she planted them left to right, alphabetically, she could tell which were which.

Genius.

I came home and did the same exact thing.

And then I applied that brilliant scheme to my flour jars on the counter. Since the arrival of my bread machine, I've learned that bread flour absolutely makes the difference when it comes to bread rising to the heavens or sitting like a brick. I think the same brilliant person told me that too.

So, now I have this array on my counter.

Should you ever need to break into my house and use some flour, it goes like this:

All purpose flour
Bread flour
White wheat flour (because the regular wheat is just greasy and too heavy for anything good)
Oatmeal
White sugar
Brown sugar

I realize the alphabet plan falls apart when we get to the oatmeal, but unless you're blind, you could tell the different between the sugars at first glance. And I'm pretty sure you can tell that oatmeal isn't flour. Yet. And the sugar jars are smaller, so they should come after the big jars.

I do NOT have OCD.

I can't determine where the oatmeal really belongs but I will defend my alphabetic principles by saying that the 3 flours are flours, with an F and the oatmeal starts with O so it should come after flours. And sugars starts with S, so the sugars come after the oatmeal. And they are smaller jars so they should NOT mingle with the larger jars. See above.

I will not rationalize why the brown comes after the white because some days, the white comes after the brown. It's about who uses the sugar first in the morning. I think.

Or maybe it's where they mice leave them when they are done using it.

Or the ants.

Linking here and here and here and here and here and here
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On a different note, can you help me help my sister? She's a sewing aficionado who blogs at Call Ajaire and has recently been featured on Joann Fabric's youtube channel. Click here and go check out her video for a simple way to make a belt for toddler pants.

You're Such a Pansy

2013-03-31T17:09:00.001-04:00

I couldn't help it.

I am so sick of everything looking brown, grey and dead. I don't think I've ever bought pansies but I just couldn't resist.

They are so green!

And colorful!

And it was pretty warm when I bought them and planted them.

It's back to New England spring today- somewhat sunny but the air still has the sharp cold of winter.

I feel like it might be eons before I see things like this lush jungle again.